A high performance version of the Mazda 6 is the 2006 MazdaSpeed 6. This vehicle features a turbocharged version of the 2.3 liter MZR I4 which has the capability to produce 274 horsepower. It has a revised front end with a raised hood, a 6-speed transmission, and an all wheel drive. Some markets, including Australia, has the MazdaSpeed 6 under the name Mazda 6 MPS, with MPS standing for Mazda Performance Series. This vehicle has an outstanding performance. Primarily, it has a driving experience and acceleration that is often seen in vehicles with a higher price to it, along with two fewer seats.

The Mazda 6 sports a combination of athletic stance along with top of the class sophistication. It gives a full attention to detail. It also has great vehicle dynamics and performance. It carries with it the characteristics of a sports car that is very rarely seen in vehicles in its class. It exudes a unique, fresh yet dynamic cabin design that is coupled up with an exceptional level of comfort and quietness. Space is something that the Mazda 6 could be generous of. Its interior has a smoothly contoured, T-shaped instrument panel that is mounted on a sporty titanium look finish. The Mazda 6s sleek interior emphasizes the power that this vehicle is capable of. It has well defined shoulders and smoother curves that makes the Mazda 6 stand high above the rest of the vehicles out on the roads. This vehicle also has put in the necessary safety standards and adds up an expressive list of advanced safety features. This vehicle has been engineered to meet or exceed crash safety standards in the different markets around the globe.

Customers and owners of Mazda 6 can check Mazda Parts and Mazda Auto Parts extensive stock of Mazda 6 parts and Mazda auto parts.

Rumors have it that a larger version of the Mazda 6 will be made for 2008 or 2009 bearing the name Mazda 9. However, as for the Mazda 6, it certainly has been bagging awards for itself. Awards that this vehicle received includes the 2nd place for the European car of the year, the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Station Wagon award, and the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Family Car award for 2005. Along that line, this vehicle has also been included in Car and Driver magazines Ten Best list for 2003.

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So, you think I forgot the Chevy Corvette and Dodge Viper when talking about performance cars? No, I did not. Both models are performance cars as well as race cars. On the other hand the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro are mass produced performance cars with muscle. There is a difference in the way a typical race car handles, rides, and performs vs. a muscle car.

Typically, a muscle car was a coupe version of some of the larger cars that were pervasive on U.S. highways in the 1960s and 1970s. The Mustang and Camaro, however, were designed separately [although they both heavily borrowed parts from other models] and these pony cars were a category all to themselves. For comparisons sake, they join the Dodge Challenger, a performance version of Mopar cars of its time. All three were compared by critics of that time and all three will once again be compared in a few years when production has been ramped up.

Ford Mustang – Step back in time with me to April 1964 to an era when America was heavily involved in the space race, Lyndon Johnson was president, and General Motors ruled autodom. Ford, for its part, had been nipping at GMs heels for years, but the failed Edsels of the late 1950s had cost the company dearly. Still, it was the time of the New York Worlds Fair and Ford used the fair and television technology to promote its newest offering, the Mustang. A 2+2 coupe borrowing parts from the Fairlane and Falcon, the 1964 model was the first one sold and is widely credited with being the best introduction of a new vehicle ever. With a V6 engine standard and V8 optional, the all new Mustang quickly broke sales records and has been a hot seller ever since. Indeed, with the introduction of the retro look Mustang in 2005, the car once again has spawned interest in the muscle car segment as both DaimlerChrysler and General Motors craft competing models of their own.

Dodge Challenger – After the success of earlier muscle cars including the Dodge Charger and Plymouth Cuda, the Dodge Challenger was launched as a 1970 model. The car borrowed heavily from the Cuda although the sheet metal was somewhat different and the wheelbase was stretched by a couple of inches. Because the muscle car era was in decline at the time of its introduction, the Challenger lasted only five model years before it was cancelled. The concept Challenger currently on display at many auto shows is based on the 1970 design and is the talk of message boards and blogs across the nation. Look for Hemi powered engines as being favored by many owners; the car is likely to share some technology with the current Magnum wagon and Charger sedan.

Chevrolet Camaro — GM was asleep at the wheel when the Mustang came out. It took nearly three years before the company could respond and when it did the Camaro and Pontiac Firebird were the result. Although both cars sold well over the years, neither one could match the Mustangs sales levels and by the time the last cars were sold in 2002, production dropped to a trickle. Still, the end of the Camaro after 35 years has stirred renewed interest in the name and thanks to the retro Mustang, the entire muscle car category is growing once again. Look for a 2010 Camaro to be the first Camaro since 2002; a ragtop version is also being considered.

So, just who can be expected to purchase a muscle car these days? People just like me: middle aged men who grew up with the original models. In addition, a whole new generation of younger drivers tired of the me too look of so many of the compact cars out there. Muscle cars of today are so much different from earlier era cars as they incorporate the look of the originals while harnessing todays technology. Thus, fuel savings will be decent without sacrificing performance: a true win-win situation.

No, I cannot wait to see a Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro lined up at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn green. A new muscle car era is upon us and for that I am very excited.

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